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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer 

MONTEVALLO – Residents in Montevallo will soon have the opportunity to participate in one of the city’s holiday traditions when Montevallo’s annual Easter egg hunt make its return at the end of the month.

Following its cancellation last year due to inclement weather, Montevallo’s Easter tradition will hop back into Orr Park at 277 Park Drive on Saturday, March 30. The family-friendly event, which will host a series of youth focused festivities, is set to begin at 10 a.m. and will culminate with the Easter egg hunt beginning at 11 a.m.

“It’s going to be an hour of activities and most of that will be spent with the Easter Bunny taking pictures,” said Pamela Smith, chairperson of the Montevallo Parks and Recreation Board. “We have the Montevallo Fire Department bring a firetruck in and the Easter Bunny rides in with them over the hill. The kids get to have their pictures made with the Easter Bunny and then we have games and activities for the children as well.”

The parks and recreation board partners with Upward Bound at the University of Montevallo to help supply and staff the side activities. For this event, Smith says there will be a face painting station and coloring sheets for children to enjoy prior to the egg hunt.

There will also be a classic challenge where contestants will have to guess how many jelly beans are contained within a jar. The contestant who guesses the closest, without going over the total number, will win the jar and be able to take it home.

With the event only scheduled for an hour, the egg hunt is planned to be a simple affair that will serve to cap off the quick event. During the hunt, children will partake in a free-for-all dash to collect as many candy-filled eggs as they can get their hands on.

“We scatter about 2,500 eggs in three different (sectioned areas) in the park that are separated out for the three different age groups,” Smith said. “We separate the little kids to keep them from being trampled by the bigger kids.”

Egg hunt participants are asked to bring their own baskets to the event and come prepared for the opportunity to have their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. While not mandatory, the parks and recreation board also asks that all in attendance return their collected eggs after the children retrieve the candy contained within.

“The event helps to bring the community together and bring the children together,” Smith said. “The mission of the Montevallo Parks and Recreation Board is to do community events and our board does many events that foster fellowship and this is one that is just a lot of fun and for the children.”